One of the most common and life-threatening heart irregularities is ventricular fibrillation in which the heart is unable to pump a significant volume of blood. When such an irregularity occurs, serious brain damage and death will invariably result unless a normal heart rhythm can be restored within a few minutes. Ventricular fibrillation is often induced as a result of a heart attack but may also be induced by accidental electric shock or due to severe stress such as in the case of surgical operations, drowning, or the like.
The most effective treatment used to restore a normal rhythm to a heart muscle experiencing ventricular fibrillation is the application of a strong electric shock to the victim. Cardiac defibrillators are devices for producing and delivering such shocks and have been known and successfully used for many years. However, the size and cost of prior defibrillators have generally restricted their use to hospitals and emergency medical facilities. Many lives could be saved each year if persons suffering ventricular fibrillation had ready access to a cardiac defibrillator. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a low-cost, low-maintenance cardiac defibrillator that can be placed in areas in which people are more likely to experience ventricular fibrillation such as near high-voltage electrical equipment.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a cardiac defibrillator having a low-cost, replaceable energy source.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a cardiac defibrillator that can be used in an emergency situation by persons having little medical training.